Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio has been sitting on pins and needles since last year, as his name continues to be tied up with pesky NBA trade rumors.

The 26-year-old Spanish guard had a promising NBA future until that unfortunate run, which saw him fall to an ACL injury right during his rookie year in 2012.

Struggling Since Getting Injured

That injury stopped his run and now Rubio finds himself struggling. The Timberwolves have since rebuilt, dealing away Kevin Love and investing heavily on three young stalwarts – Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, and Karl-Anthony Towns. The T-Wolves even added a promising rookie Kris Dunn, who could be stealing away more minutes from Rubio.

Given the new core, Rubio trade rumors are likely to rise once more. But which team would gamble on Rubio who needs to work on certain facets of his game – notably his outside shot?

The answer could be teams in need of a playmaker who will have plenty of shooters surrounding him. The Houston Rockets could eventually express interest in acquiring the savvy playmaker.

The Point Guard Houston Needs

Similar to last year, the Rockets have been on the prowl for a point guard. They tried that out with Ty Lawson, which unfortunately didn’t work out. In the end, the Rockets went with Patrick Beverly and Jason Terry.

Terry is not going to be re-signed so that slot could be perfect for Rubio. With the ability to create situations and run the break, he could be the guard that new head coach Mike D’Antoni will need.

Rubio will not be looked upon to score but more on to orchestrate. That should ease the burden off James Harden, who was previously rumored to be doing some point guard chores.

While it all makes sense, it all boils down to how Rubio and Harden can get along. Harden failed to hit it well with Lawson so this could be an area of concern. But if it is all about addressing needs, Rubio is a viable option that Daryl Morey may want to consider.